Serbia demolished Croatia: Serbian water polo players "drowned" the opponent in the packed Belgrade Arena (PHOTO)

Serbian national water polo team did not just win over the national team of Croatia at the opening of the European championship in Belgrade!

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Players our coach Dejan Savić chose practically ran over the ruling Olympic champion in front of 11.000 fans in Belgrade Arena - 13:6 (3:1, 4:2, 5:1, 1:2).

The same situation like in the World Championship Final in the city of Kranj, Slovenia (score 11:4) was seen in the first round of group B of European Water polo championship in Belgrade.

In this way the domination against Croatia was continued because the Croatian team won against Serbia for the last time in 2010 in the semi-final game in Zagreb (10:9).

The Croatian players did not stand a chance of making a surprise against Serbia.

Even when they scored the first goal in the match, their lead was annulled shortly, and by the end of the first period things came to the usual (3:1).

Foto: Marko Todorović

The Croatian team captain Josip Pavić successfully took out several difficult shots from our players, but he needed three extra pairs of hands to stop all the attempts of Serbian "dolphins".

Mandić started playing very well, Prlainović was right beside him and by the end of the second period the score was 7:3.

It is worth to mention that Mandić, the former player of WT "Partizan" Belgrade, who now plays for the Italian club "Pro Recco" scored three times in a row, and the last one was a small master-piece.

Throughout the third period it was clear that the Croatian team will be "drowned" in the capital city of Serbia, because other players started playing even better too.

Foto: Tanjug/Tanja Valič

Pavić could only stand and watch how our players were scoring goal after goal, while our defense line was as strong as concrete.

Even if Croatian players managed to shoot, there was our goal keeper, Branislav Mitrović.

In the last period he was replaced by Gojko Pjetlović who also did a good job.

Players with most goals scored in our team were Mandić and Prlainović with 3 goals, Mitrović scored two times, and Ranđelović, Jakšić, Ćuk, Nikić and Gocić once.

Foto: Marko Todorović

For the Croatian team, Šetka scored 2 times, and Bušlje, Lončar, Pavlović, and Petković once.

Croatian team scored first at the beginning of the match through Šetka after two unsuccessful attempts, one on both sides.

Filipović hit the post, and the Croatian players did not use the advantage after Aleksić was temporarily out of the game.

On the other hand, Sukno from Croatia also had to be out of the pool for 20 seconds but Pavić saved the shot from Filipović's attempt.

Then Prlainović scored a fabulous goal, even though Pavić had the ball on his fingertips.

Four minutes before the end of the first period the score was 1:1 and in the next attack, our goal keeper managed to save a clean shot.

Two minutes before the end of the period, Serbia was leading 2:1.

Ćuk tried to score, Pavić saved it but Ranđelović took the ball and scored.

Mandić brought another goal for Serbia, after our defense line did a marvelous job.

It could have been 4:1 but Pavić saved magnificently the attempt of Prlainović.

Still, at the end of the first period Serbia was 2 goals ahead of Croatia.

Foto: Marko Todorović

Croatian players won the second sprint, but Serbia again scored through Mandić.

The player of "Pro Recco" used our advantage and scored one more time.

The same player scored once more, but on the other side Bušlje used the commotion in our defense and scored for 5:2.

It was 5:3 through Lončar, but Pavić could not do anything against Prlainović in the 6th minute of the second period (6:3).

Half-time ended with Serbia leading 7:3 since Jakšić scored another goal, while Croatian players did not use the player advantage

To tell the truth, they did, but the Croatian coach Ivica Tucak reached for a time-out at the same moment.

When he saw that his players scored a goal, he tried to call off the time-out but the referees did not accept this.

Foto: Marko Todorović

Croatian goal keeper Pavić made a fantastic save at the beginning of the third period, but he could not do anything after Ćuk's attempt.

Serbia was leading 8:3 two minutes after the third period began.

Another goal of Serbian players was called off because of the foul of our player, but Croatian players could not score a goal against our keeper Mitrović.

Serbian players Nikić and Stefan Mitrović scored one goal each so the score was 10:3.

Defense was of no use to the players from Croatia.

Three minutes before the end of the period, the result on board was 12:4 for Serbia.

Gocić was inexorable and with this goal concluded the third period.

The matter of the winner of the game was clear at the end of the first half, and Prlainović opened up the last period with another goal, for the score 13:4 for Serbia.

Pjetlović, who replaced Mitrović on the goal saved a couple of attempts from Sukno, the best player in Croatian team.

The fifth goal for Croats came after another foul and exclusion of Aleksić.

Serbian player Gocić allegedly made an unsportsmanlike foul and was expelled from the match 2 minutes before the end.

Croatia managed to get another goal through Petković and this one was the last on the match, setting the final score at 13:6 for Serbia.

Foto: Tanjug/Marko Đoković

(Telegraf.co.uk)